Evaluation of genotoxicity induced by exposure to antineoplastic drugs in lymphocytes of oncology nurses and pharmacists

ABSTRACT The hazards of handling antineoplastic drugs have been raised and discussed in several studies. Introduction of new antineoplastics together with abuse of safety standards have contributed to the exposure risk for personnel who handle these substances. Interactions of antineoplastic drugs w...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied toxicology Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 196 - 201
Main Authors: El-Ebiary, Ahmad A., Abuelfadl, Arwa A., Sarhan, Naglaa I.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2013
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects:
Aberration
Abnormal Karyotype
Adult
Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects
antineoplastic drug
chromosomal aberration
Chromosomes
Damage
DNA Damage
Drugs
Exposure
Female
genotoxicity
Health Facility Environment
Humans
Karyotyping
lymphocyte
Lymphocytes
Lymphocytes - drug effects
Lymphocytes - pathology
Male
Materials handling
Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective - chemically induced
micronucleus assay
Micronucleus Tests
Mutagens - adverse effects
nurse
Nurses
Nursing Staff, Hospital
Occupational Exposure - adverse effects
Occupational hazards
pharmacist
Pharmacists
Prescription drugs
Toxicity
ISSN:0260-437X, 1099-1263, 1099-1263
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT The hazards of handling antineoplastic drugs have been raised and discussed in several studies. Introduction of new antineoplastics together with abuse of safety standards have contributed to the exposure risk for personnel who handle these substances. Interactions of antineoplastic drugs with biological structures vary according to the drug(s) and the individual's genetic susceptibility. This study was carried out to evaluate the genome damage induced by exposure to antineoplastic drugs in nurses (n = 20) and pharmacists (n = 18) working in the Oncology Department of Tanta Cancer Center. Thirty subjects matched in age, gender and smoking habit were selected as controls. Both chromosomal aberration analysis and micronucleus assay were used to evaluate genome damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes of the study subjects. The numbers of aberrant lymphocytes, as well as chromosomal aberration and micronuclei frequencies, were significantly increased in exposed personnel in comparison to matched controls. Compared with pharmacists, nurses showed notably higher level of chromosome damage. On the other hand, no significant difference in micronuclei frequency was observed between nurses and pharmacists. Correlation analyses pointed to the influence of age and duration of occupational exposure on the level of chromosome damage among exposed subjects. The results of this study confirmed that handling antineoplastic drugs without appropriate precautions imposed a genotoxic risk for exposed healthcare workers. These results address the need for regular biomonitoring of exposed personnel. In addition, they call attention to the need for proper implementation of intervention measures aiming to eliminate or significantly reduce worker exposure and prevent untoward biological effects. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Pharmacists and nurses handling antineoplastic drugs showed significantly increased chromosomal aberration and micronuclei frequencies. Compared with pharmacists, nurses showed notably higher levels of chromosome damage, but not micronuclei frequency. Correlation analyses pointed to the influence of age and duration of occupational exposure on the level of chromosome damage among exposed subjects.
Bibliography:istex:1FDB13C24A02EC3E6D28237357250BACDE6DCFD7
ark:/67375/WNG-QL80RDGF-K
ArticleID:JAT1735
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
content type line 23
ISSN:0260-437X
1099-1263
1099-1263
DOI:10.1002/jat.1735